Thanks, I wasn't aware of that. But not many people can hear that quiet, if you trust the audiologists, and ENT's I've talked with. It usually varies between 0dB and +15 for normal hearing. What about -17dB? Well, that's what one person claimed she was tested for. Don't know how accurate that was.

I know my ability to hear quiet sounds improved in a hearing test when my sound sensitivity got worse. Hearing in the -dB range is typical of people with hyperacusis, unless they have hearing loss.

my biggest problem is when i listen to music at -17dB
my breathing is too loud.

__________________
[Grasshopper]:Old man, how is it that you hear these things?
[master]:Young man, how is it that you do not?

my biggest problem is when i listen to music at -17dB
my breathing is too loud.

Hehehe.

And that rather illustrates the more salient point that it doesn't really matter if someone is able to hear down to -17dB. They're not going to be able to hear something at -17dB AND something at say, 60dB at the same time.

If you're in a good anechoic chamber, you can ultimately hear the air molecules beating on your eardrums. But you can't do that until you've acclimated to the silence.

Many of us have high abilities in hearing when we are young, perhaps better than average, and that may be why we find hi fi an interesting hobby. I started comparing differences in acoustical guitars, before I took hi fi very seriously. I acquired the best sounding guitars from several similar ones, starting 50 years ago, and sometimes I sold similar guitars off, because of some characteristic that annoyed me, and would not go away with more time on the guitar. This was all before getting into hi fi.
This ability, I think, prepared me to get into hi fi design and do something with it.
Now how does this 'ability' affect me, especially in my later years?
Well, listening to FM radio, for one.
Long ago, there was a San Francisco FM station called: KYA. They did 'oldies' rock and roll from the '50's onward. I listened to it in my car, and at home, always being 'fortified' by whatever an old song gave me. One special song was 'Angel Baby' by a young woman of indeterminate race, but with great intensity. I must have heard that song on the radio, almost every day, and it almost always reminded me of teenage love, as I also had in my earlier years.
Later, KYA changed its format, and the 'oldies' moved to another station on the dial. The sound transmission probably digitally processed, was not as good, but still listenable. This went on for a number of years, then the station material moved again, this time with what I must presume resembles an MP-3 format. Now it is virtually unlistenable to me. Why? Well, same basic music, but too much was lost. The 'soul' of even that old rock and roll music is gone, and only a recognition remains.
This is my curse, as well as my blessing. I am sure that others can still listen to that 'oldies' station and be happy. So it goes.

Thanks, I wasn't aware of that. But not many people can hear that quiet, if you trust the audiologists, and ENT's I've talked with. It usually varies between 0dB and +15 for normal hearing. What about -17dB? Well, that's what one person claimed she was tested for. Don't know how accurate that was.

Yes when your hearing is working you don't normally visit audiologists.

The Maico hearing test unit I got as a kid started at -10db. It was retired because it used stepped attenuators and made a clicking noise between steps. It was determined the switches were worn out by the factory authorized service folks. I had a great time taking it apart, beautifully built, learned about log size steps, silver shorting rotary switches, etc. Of course with later knowledge the actual problem was DC through a leaking capacitor!

If you're in a good anechoic chamber, you can ultimately hear the air molecules beating on your eardrums. But you can't do that until you've acclimated to the silence.

I thought that's what that was.

Actually, the threshold of audibility is just above being able to perceive changes in pressure due to the thermal agitation of air molecules. It is also theorized that this is true among all other animals as well.